CANYON, Texas – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team opened the West Texas A&M Invitational on Friday with a pair of action-packed games as they earned an 8-7 victory over Eastern New Mexico University in their first game of the day before dropping a 10-9, extra inning thriller against Texas A&M University Kingsville.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Game 1: UCCS 8, ENMU 7 | Game 2: UCCS 9, TAMUK 10 (8 Innings)
Records: UCCS (4-2, 0-0 RMAC), ENMU (5-2, 0-0 LSC), TAMUK (3-4, 0-0 LSC)
Location: Schaeffer Park | Canyon, Texas
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to 8-8 all-time against Eastern New Mexico and fall to 0-2 against Texas A&M University Kingsville.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME ONE – EASTERN NEW MEXICO
- After UCCS starting pitcher Hannah Hunt stranded a leadoff double in the top of the first inning, the Mountain Lions took advantage of some shaky control from Eastern New Mexico pitcher Miranda Guillen and a Greyhound error in the bottom half of the frame as they scored four runs while recording just a single hit. Mackenzie Scott opened the rally by taking a hit-by-pitch out of the leadoff spot before a walk from Gianna Pancost and dropped fly ball off the bat of Katie Steinmetz put the Mountain Lions in a bases loaded situation with just one out. Following a strikeout by Jennavieve Goldsworth, Guillen continued to struggle with her control as Halley Redd worked an RBI walk to bring in the first run of the game. Tayler McCombs stepped up to the dish next and made Guillen pay in a big way as she lifted a bases-clearing double over the left fielder's head to push the score to 4-0 in favor of UCCS.
- Despite the early cushion, Hunt quickly got into trouble in the top half of the second inning as three of the first four Greyhound hitters reached base on a pair of singles and hit batter. With the bases loaded and just one out in the frame, Hunt was unfazed as she buckled down to record back-to-back strikeouts that ended the inning and kept the UCCS advantage at four runs.
- After the Mountain Lions stranded runners on second and third in the bottom of the second frame, Eastern New Mexico used the momentum to begin chipping away at their deficit as they scored a pair of runs in the top of the third and another in their half of the fourth to make it a 4-3 ballgame.
- UCCS got their offense rolling once again in the bottom of the fourth inning with a leadoff single from pinch-hitter Bailey Olerich followed by a double from Scott that put a pair of runners on base with nobody out. Jacqueline Berkowitz would come up to the plate next and she cashed in one of the runners with a bloop single into left field that extended the UCCS advantage to 5-3. After Guillen retired Pancost on a pop-up for the first out of the inning, Steimetz broke the game open as she drove a deep fly ball over the center field fence for a three-run home run that made it an 8-3 contest.
- With a five-run lead in the top of the sixth inning, UCCS turned the ball over to Haisley Leskinen inside the circle after five solid innings from Hunt, and the freshman pitcher went on to struggle mightily as she issued a walk and a hit-by-pitch to the first two hitters she faced before surrendering a two-run double and a two-run home run that cut the Mountain Lions' advantage to just 8-7. Leskinen's tough outing forced UCCS head coach Dwight Sanders to make another pitching change with still nobody out in the sixth frame as he handed the ball to another freshman pitcher in Lauren Falk. The first-year hurler from Highlands Ranch, Colo., delivered for Sanders as she retired three of four batters upon entering the game to hold the lead at one run for UCCS.
- Falk returned to the circle for the top of the seventh inning and worked around a walk and a single to strand the tying and winning runs on second and third base as she secured her second save of the season in an 8-7 win for the Mountain Lions.
STATS FROM GAME ONE – EASTERN NEW MEXICO
- The Mountain Lions recorded seven hits in their first action of the weekend while drawing four walks and taking three hit-by-pitches.
- McCombs continued her strong start to the season as she went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, and three RBIs. Berkowitz also notched a multi-hit game out of the two-hole in the lineup as she posted a 2-for-4 line with an RBI.
- Steinmetz showed off her power in the cleanup spot of the lineup as she smashed her second home run of the campaign in a 1-for-3 effort with a walk and three runs batted in.
- Hunt (3-0) earned her third win of the season after pitching five innings and allowing three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts.
- Leskinen was charged with four earned runs and did not record an out as she allowed each of the four hitters she faced to reach. Falk settled the game down upon entering in the sixth inning as she pitched two innings and held the Mountain Lions' one-run lead to collect her second save of the young season.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GAME TWO – TEXAS A&M – KINGSVILLE
- The second game of the day for UCCS started with Texas A&M Kingsville jumping out to an early lead against Mountain Lion starting pitcher Autumn Kunze as the Javelinas plated a run in the first inning before using a two-run home run and an RBI double in the second inning to grab a 4-0 lead.
- After being held scoreless with just three hits across the first three innings of the game, the UCCS offense broke through in the top of the fourth frame as they strung together six hits and a walk to bring in five runs and take their first lead of the game. Laynee Case opened the scoring in the inning with an RBI single through the left side of the infield before Scott pounded a two-run single into left field that cut the deficit to one. Berkowitz continued the hit parade with an RBI double that brought the game even at four runs apiece and Pancost drove her home on a run-scoring single to left field to give the Mountain Lions a 5-4 lead.
- The lead was short-lived for UCCS as the Javelinas jumped right back on top in their half of the fourth inning with a two-run double by Arianna Soliz and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Kaylynne Ruiz giving TAMUK a 7-5 lead.
- UCCS was quick to find a response in the top half of fifth frame as Halley Redd led off the inning with a single into right field right before Case lifted a two-run home run over the left field fence that tied the game at seven.
- Although both teams had plenty of traffic on the basepaths across the next couple of innings, it took until the top of the eighth inning for the tie to be broken as Case lifted a two-out, two-run home run over the center field fence that gave the Mountain Lions a 9-7 lead.
- In the bottom half of the eighth, relief pitcher Kailey Bond found herself in immediate trouble as she issued back-to-back walks to start the frame. After a fielding error loaded the bases for the Javelinas, Sophie Campbell came through with an infield single that brought across a run and cut the UCCS lead to just one with nobody out in the inning. Bond would retire the next TAMUK batter on a fielder's choice groundout, but a single by Faith Nunez and a walk by Andrea Ramirez brought home two more runs, giving the Javelinas a 10-9 walk off victory.
STATS FROM GAME TWO – TEXAS A&M – KINGSVILLE
- There was a total of 28 hits in the game, with UCCS recording 15 and TAMUK collecting 13.
- The Mountain Lion middle infield duo of Case and Redd was nearly unstoppable as Case went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs while Redd was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and a walk.
- UCCS also saw strong production from the top three spots in the lineup as Scott (2-for-4), Berkowitz (2-for-4), and Pancost (2-for-5) each recorded multi-hit performances.
- Kunze was charged with seven earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched as the starting pitcher for UCCS. The junior pitcher allowed nine hits and hit one batter while notching five strikeouts.
- Bond (0-1) pitched four innings in relief of Kunze and was saddled with her first loss of the season after allowing three earned runs. Bond faced plenty of traffic on the bases during her outing, allowing four hits and nine walks.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lions have now played extra innings in three of their first six games this season, which already matches their number from the entire 2024 season.
- With five strikeouts today, Kunze moves into sole possession of No. 10 all-time in program history with 186 in her career. Next up on the all-time strikeout list for Kunze will be Kelly Wagner with 192.
- Case marks the first Mountain Lion student-athlete to hit multiple home runs in a single game since Lexi Wagner achieved the feat on April 1, 2023, against Colorado School of Mines.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will wrap up their final two games of the West Texas A&M Invitational tomorrow as they meet the Javelinas at 12:30 p.m. (MT) before taking on No. 13 nationally ranked West Texas A&M at 7 p.m. (MT).
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
